The Jam regrouped and refocused for All Mod Cons, an album that marked a great leap in songwriting maturity and sense of purpose. For the first time, Paul Weller built, rather than fell back, upon his influences, carving a distinct voice all his own; he employed a story-style narrative with invented characters and vivid British imagery à la Ray Davies to make incisive social commentary - all in a musically irresistible package. The youthful perspective and impassioned delivery on All Mod Cons first earned Weller the "voice of a generation" tag, and it certainly captures a moment in time, but really, the feelings and sentiments expressed on the album just as easily speak to any future generation of young people. Terms like "classic" are often bandied about, but in the case of All Mod Cons, it is certainly deserved.

Having made his best album since 461 Ocean Boulevard with Slowhand, Eric Clapton followed with Backless, which took the same authoritative, no-nonsense approach. If it wasn't quite the masterpiece, or the sales monster, that Slowhand had been, this was probably because of that usual Clapton problem: material. Once again, he returned to those Oklahoma hills for another song from J.J. Cale, but "I'll Make Love to You Anytime" wasn't quite up to "Cocaine" or "After Midnight." Bob Dylan contributed two songs, but you could see why he hadn't saved them for his own album, and Clapton's own writing contributions were mediocre.

Reissue of the band's sole album, recorded in 1977. This a jazz-rock album with few zeuhl elements, references are more likely to be found into Herbie Hancock's Headhunters. High energy involved, good vibes, passionate playing and fabulous bass lines of Alain Lecointe. Led by composer Jacques Liot, the album features a stellar crew of musicians : Alain Lecointe on bass (Serge Bringolf's Strave, Alain Eckert, Hamsa Music), Richard Raux (Magma 1st incarnation), Lionel Ledissez (Ergo Sum) etc. Nadavati belongs to the few 70s French bands that went that way : Spheroe, Chute Libre, Transit Express, CCCP. Also comparable to the recent album of Planeto Imaginario - both exploring instrumental landscapes between jazz-rock & progressive.

One of three acts (with Peter Gabriel and Paul Butterfield) on Rockpalast’s Third Rocknacht ("Rock Night") on 15th September, 1978 at the 10,000-capacity Grugahalle in Essen, recorded on the night of the famous Ali-Spinks heavyweight boxing match. Features legendary guitarist Alvin Lee in his only Rockpalast appearance, with backing musicians Tom Compton (drums) and Mick Hawksworth (bass). The Full 10-song set includes the Ten Years After Woodstock classic "I’m Going Home". Includes bonus unbroadcast tracks ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ and 'Roll Over Beethoven' Alvin Lee post-show comment: "The best TV show I ever appeared in."

This is a bit of a deep cut from Richard Pinhas' extended discography. It's essentially a Heldon side project, with Pinhas and Heldon drummer François Auger teaming up with multi-instrumentalist Hervé Picart to turn out this mellow piece combining Berlin style progressive electronic performances with psychedelic jamming reminiscent of early Tangerine Dream or Ash Ra Tempel. Props also have to be given to the gorgeous cover art, which puts me in mind of the excellent science fiction art coming out of France at the time by the likes of Moebius and hits the mood of the music perfectly. Put this on when you're gazing out of your space colony on an arid world in the process of being terraformed.

Alvin Lee always works with red hot drummers and one of the delights of this excellent album is the driving drum work of American funkster John Susswell, visiting England when Alvin was planning this 1978 solo effort. Vintage performances by the guitarist are sparked by a tasty rhythm section that includes stalwart bass player Alan Spenner. Ten top tracks written by Alvin include the intriguing ‘Chemicals, Chemistry, Mystery & More’.

A gem of a record from Shorty Rogers - a set recorded in the mid 50s for Atlantic, but never issued at the time - making it not only a hell of an album, but a great discovery too! Shorty's in wonderful form here - working with some of the best modes learned on his RCA sides, served up with the tighter focus that we love in his other Atlantic recordings of the 50s - and graced with a great group of players who include Herb Geller on alto, Jimmy Giuffre on clarinet and tenor, Bud Shank on alto and baritone, Bill Holman on tenor, Lou Levy on piano, Ralph Pena on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums. With a lineup like that, you can bet things are on the money throughout - especially since all tunes are originals by Shorty, with great arrangements that really let all the solo voices come through strongly!

Jürgen Krutzsch formed German band TIBET in 1972, having been inspired by the Eastern experimentation of groups such as the BEATLES and THIRD EAR BAND. Krutszch had spent the latter part of the sixties in cover bands (FINE ART, NOSTRADAMUS), and was interested in putting together a group that played native Tibetan instruments such as the tabla, violin, zither, and flute. He quickly abandoned this idea after recruiting former band mates Karl-Heinz Hamann (FINE ART, TESKE) and Dieter Kumpakischkis (NOSTRADAMUS), as well as drummer Fred Teske and vocalist Kalus Werthmann, but the band did retain a certain pseudo-mystic feel to their music during their nine year existence.

Love Beach is the seventh studio album by English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer. It was released on 17 November 1978 by Atlantic Records as their final studio album released prior to their split in the following year. By the end of their 1977–1978 North American tour internal relations had started to deteriorate, but the group were contractually required to produce one more album. They retreated to Nassau, Bahamas as tax exiles to record Love Beach with lyricist Peter Sinfield who is credited as a co-writer of each track. After Greg Lake and Carl Palmer had finished recording their parts they left the island, leaving Keith Emerson to finish the album himself. The album received negative reviews from critics.

Vocalion's reissue of classic easy-listening album by Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra, originally released in 1978 on the Philips label. Remastered from the original analogue stereo tapes for Vocalion's trademark crystal-clear sound. French composer/conductor Paul Mauriat is a classically trained musician who decided to pursue a career in popular music. His first major success came in 1962, as a co-writer of the European hit "Chariot." In 1963, the song was given English lyrics, renamed "I Will Follow Him," and became a number one American hit for Little Peggy March. Mauriat is best remembered for his 1968 worldwide smash "Love Is Blue."

The box set contains the first five original studio albums of Smokie: Pass It Around (1975), Changing All The Time (1975), Midnight Cafe (1976), Bright Lights & Back Alleys (1977), The Montreux Album (1978). Originally formed in Yorkshire, England, in 1966, Smokie hit the British pop charts several times during the late '70s with updated psychedelic pop, influenced by the band's stay on Mickie Most's Rak Records as well as the writers of most of the band's hit material, Rak's Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Vocalist Chris Norman, bassist Terry Utley, and guitarist Alan Silson had played in the Elizabethans, but formed the band Kindness in 1968, with the addition of drummer Pete Spencer. The quartet recorded many singles during the late '60s and early '70s, but failed to show any chart activity until 1975.

Bill Evans' third and final recording of overdubbed solos differs from the previous two in that he utilizes an electric piano in addition to his acoustic playing. Evans plays quite well on this album (which includes four of his later originals, obscurities by Cy Coleman, Cole Porter and Duke Ellington and "Nobody Else but Me") but the results are less memorable than one might expect for Bill Evans seemed always at his best in trio settings.

It is exactly what it says on the package, a full-fledged concerto that bucks every prevalent musical fashion (1978 was the age of punk, after all) by proving that prog wasn't only alive and well, it was also still capable of startling the unwary listener. With fellow Curved Air refugee Francis Monkman overseeing the orchestra, Way's electric violin has never sounded so adventurous, leading the way through four skillfully planned movements that the composer admits were influenced by Ravel, Bartók, and Prokofiev, but which have a personality all of their own. Certainly Way's Concerto withstands comparison with any other rocker's attempt to blend the classics with more modern disciplines (Keith Emerson's piano concerto was released the previous year), and it was poor promotion alone that prevented Concerto for Electric Violin & Synth from making heavier inroads into the period's consciousness.

Tobacco Road was recorded limited line up live (without audience!) at "Golden Slipper" in Chicago with one on two guitars (Jimmy Johnson, David Matthews), bass (Ike Anderson) and drums (Dino Neal), October 19, 1977. Johnson with a high, soul infected voice sings and plays guitar in the tradition of three kings. He interpreted "Sweet Little Angel", by b.b.of Albert "Breaking Up Somebody's Home"."Look Over Yonder" comes from Elmore James.The title track of "Tobacco road",a classic,is known in versions by the Blues Magoos, Eric Burdon, Lou Rawls, Edgar winter, etc. The 1997 reissue of Storyville Records features four bonus tracks.

Tormato is the ninth studio album by English progressive rock band Yes. It was released on 22 September 1978 on Atlantic Records, and is their last album with singer Jon Anderson and keyboardist Rick Wakeman before their departure from the group in 1980. After touring their previous album Going for the One (1977), the band entered rehearsals in London to record a follow-up. The album was affected by various problems, such as internal disputes over the direction of the music and artwork, and the departure of engineer Eddy Offord early into the sessions, resulting in the group producing the album themselves.